security policies

Will the iPhone affect business phones?

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:01:37 -0500

Apple's iPhone has captured the attention of the press, some of whom have proclaimed it the solution to the enterprise's smartphone needs. Apple isn't pushing the iPhone as a business tool, but that doesn't mean that the media darling won't have an impact on corporate cellphone decisions. Just as the first generation of camera phones affected enterprise security policies, the media features of the iPhone--and its ability to use both cellular and WiFi networks--will shape business wireless decisions going forward. The phones that administrators will have to chose from will also be shaped by the iPhone as competitors such as Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, and RIM bring out new devices to compete with Apple's wireless offering.

For more on the iPhone's impact on business:
- read this article at Mobile Tech Today

How to secure wireless devices and end points

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

There's one thing no company wants to find out--that a slew of laptops have gone missing with vulnerable data and corporate information in the wrong hands. Companies whose workers carry data to and from the enterprise, whether it be home or on the road, don't want the calls alerting them that the files have gone missing. Those scenarios are happening every day, with a number of them making headlines. That's why enterprises are rewriting mobile device security policies, using more than one type of security approach and encrypting more than just files on a device. One company encrypts where data is backed up and stored, another has pulled in a tool that detects when an unauthorized CD-ROM is put into a laptop. Another is securing any data put on USB storage devices and enacting a policy regarding the use of flash drives employees are bringing in without IT's ok. Each strategy illustrates the various approaches needed to make sure that mobile data doesn't go wandering off. Here's a great article that explains to users why laptop security is part of their job responsibilities and how it can help them avoid making that dreaded call to the IT department. Article

Editor's Corner

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:01:40 -0400

Poorly secured mobility efforts can decimate that ROI factor with just one wireless network breach. A Ponemon Institute report surveyed over a dozen enterprises about confidential data breaches and found that the total cost comes in around $14 million dollars each. That's not small change to anyone's bottom line these days. These costs includes the investment needed to notify customers, legal counsel as well as the productivity dips due to the break-in itself. That's why it's still amazing to me that wireless and mobile deployments are happening without enough up-front security planning--the cost of that effort doesn't come close to the cost of a breach. As another report indicates, over 60 percent of IT leaders are ignoring mobile devices within their current security policies, and the majority do realize the danger involved in taking such a stance. PointSec estimates that only about 20 percent of today's mobile devices have the necessary security systems installed. -Judy